The document discusses the future of citizen media (CiM) and summarizes several key points: 1) CiM is focusing more on long-term processes rather than isolated events through narrowing the bandwidth over time to add richness and using full spectrums to provide context. 2) New technologies like crowdsourcing are enabling crisis mapping, early warning systems, and massive data analytics through sites like Ushahidi, SwiftRiver, and TomNod. 3) Open data initiatives, interactive timelines, word clouds, and infographics are adding value by visualizing information. 4) However, new challenges are emerging like "filter bubbles" where algorithmic personalization may limit exposure

1. Future of CiM?
Sanjana Hattotuwa
TED Fellow

2. Focus on process, not just spikes
Narrow band over time adds richness, full spectrum adds context
Local language(s)
Culture
Local actors
Diaspora
Hagiography and myth
Identity and power
Partisan politics
Regional power blocs
Inequity
Demographics (Youth)
Civic media
Verbal storytelling

3. new mapping
crowdsourcing and crisis mapping

4. crowd sourcing mapping | new maps
http://publiclaboratory.org/sites/default/files/4445981062_73945db207_b_2.jpg

5. crowd sourcing mapping | new maps
http://grassrootsmapping.org/gulf-oil-spill

6. LRA crisis tracker
http://lracrisistracker.theresolve.org

7. LRA crisis tracker
http://lracrisistracker.theresolve.org

8. LRA crisis tracker | Verification
http://lracrisistracker.theresolve.org/sites/default/files/Map-Methodology-and-Database%20Codebook%20v1.0.pdf

9. Photosynth: many eyes, context provisioning
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=f3a648b8-7a4c-4bc4-8396-5746d86225b6

10. early warning
via crowdsourcing and web agents

11. Detecting Emergent Conflicts through Web Mining and Visualization
http://irevolution.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/detecting-emergent-conflicts-through-web-mining-and-visualization.pdf

12. Ushahidi Swiftriver
• Ushahidi SwiftRiver | http://ushahidi.com/products/swiftriver-platform
SwiftRiver is a platform that helps people make sense
of a lot of information in a short amount of time.
In practice, SwiftRiver enables the filtering and
verification of real-time data from channels like
Twitter, SMS, Email and RSS feeds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb0Gs7vtrgk

13. crowd sourcing
verification
distributed intelligence

14. JPquake Site: crowdsourcing media reports
http://www.jpquake.info

15. Massive data analytics
http://tomnod.com

16. Christchurch: damage assessment
http://tomnod.com/geocan/

17. Massive data analytics
http://irevolution.net/2011/09/19/crowdsourcing-update-on-syria

18. open data

19. open data

20. open data in government

21. open data in government

22. open data by NGOs

23. infoviz

24. interactive timelines
http://www.timetoast.com

25. bundling social media, adding value through curation
http://www.bundlr.com & http://www.storify.com

26. word clouds
http://groundviews.org/2011/05/11/from-draft-to-official-text-wikileaks-reveals-the-us-
response-to-the-end-of-war-in-sri-lanka/

27. interactive graphics
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/05/03/us/20110503-osama-response.html

28. infographics
http://www.smallmeans.com/new-york-times-infographics/

29. CiM drivers from other domains
• Music industry (pattern based search, e.g. Pandora’s technical + human indexing), social
networking (group collaboration,e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook), social networking search (e.g.
Grepling), mobile phone apps (e.g. Guardly), marketing engines (e.g. adaptive persuasion
profiling), digital forensics (e.g. hyperspectral imaging with UAVs), ground truth profiling (e.g.
UNOSAT images on Sri Lanka) many sourcing for situational awareness (e.g. Microsoft
Photosynth), Open Data Initiatives (e.g. British, US govt’s, World Bank), visualisation (e.g.
Infomous)

30. new challenges
situation awareness & information literacy

31. filter bubbles
• "A Squirrel Dying In Your Front Yard May Be More Relevant To Your Interests Right Now Than
People Dying In Africa", Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook
• Human gatekeepers being replaced by algorithmic gatekeepers.
http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html
• A new, pervasive, almost invisible, systemic filtering?

32. filtering to counter filter bubbles
• Ushahidi SwiftRiver | http://ushahidi.com/products/swiftriver-platform
SwiftRiver is a platform that helps people make sense
of a lot of information in a short amount of time.
In practice, SwiftRiver enables the filtering and
verification of real-time data from channels like
Twitter, SMS, Email and RSS feeds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb0Gs7vtrgk

33. investing: from lugano to...?

34. organisational hr & financial costs
Skilled / Free Skilled / Paid
IBM ManyEyes Ustream Flash based infoviz
Google Moderator Timetoast
Open Data statistics Wordpress VIP
Bundlr Storify
Curated Twitter Wordpress Wordle
Google Maps
Facebook Facebook Ads Flickr Pro
Vimeo
Google News
Google Reader Flickr YouTube
Easy / Free Easy / Paid

35. Thank you
sanjanahattotuwa@ict4peace.org